Essay Sample: Event Tourism with Its Implications in Oman

IntroductionResearch shows that event development and management is important in supporting tourism industry. Event development and management connect people from different parts of the globe with the aim of utilizing events when marketing or tourism. Event development and management involve planning of activities with the aim of organizing festivals, meetings as well as convection for tourism growth and development. The process of initiating events management can get initiated by either global or local level. However, the study of the events is important as it leads to practical learning of activities. Today, the sector of tourism has gone beyond setting up of activities in connection with learning and traveling with the aim of experiencing traditions, places, experiences as well as festivals. Event development and management have broadened tourism to the establishment of tourism attracting mechanisms at destinations (Subramoniam, Al-Essai, Al-Marashadi and Al-Kindi, 2010, p. 1). Though tourism and event management and development seem differing, the two concepts are inseparable as the concepts of the two get closely aligned with one another. Events are tourism motivators as they open a way for tourism attraction.

The development a tourist attraction at a specific destination depends on the level of event development and management. Tourists get the interest of visiting a destination when there is a tourism event that is appealing. Successful event development and management lead to the popularity of a destination that culminates to increased visitations of tourists (Morrison, 2013, p. 31). Event development and management trigger tourists to have the interest of visiting a specific destination. Muscat Festivals in Oman is one of the major events that attract visitors and travelers from all corners of the earth. The managers of Oman Tourism industry strategically apply event development and management techniques to attract many tourists globally to attend the 2017 Muscat Festival dated. The discussion of this paper concerns the illustration of tourism event practice using Muscat, Oman as the place of the field study while the event to attend was the 2017 Muscat Festival. The paper begins with the illustration of the theoretical insights concerning the development and management of event followed by the provision of a field report, data findings with the analysis, the offering of concluding remarks and recommendations with particular portfolio attachments.

The Field Report

Field Report Before, During and After the Study

The process of preparing, visiting as well as the findings after the visit at Muscat, Oman connects class work and fieldwork in illustrating tourism with the events in practice. The tourism management at Muscat in Oman had organized for an event called Muscat Festival .Before visiting Muscat; I did some desk review to have an understanding of the area of destinations. From the desk research, I realized that Muscat Festival is amongst the important festivals held in Oman (El Amrousi & Biln, 2010, p.230). The event involves important sectors of Oman Tourism industry at the National and local levels. From the readings before attending the event, I realized that Muscat festival involves five major activities that include: Naseem Park, cultural, artistic, motorsports as well as Amerat park activities.

The main agenda of Muscat Festival is to have a reflection on the unique magical beauty and magnificence of the Sultanate. I as well noted that the event focuses on the heritage and history of Sultanate within the modern development (El Amrousi & Biln, 2010, p.240). Oman Tourism industry is strategically developing and managing Muscat Festival with the aim of attracting tourists. By acquiring many the attention of many visitors from various of the World, the cultural heritage, authentic of the Arab traditions as well as Sultanate customs ends up preserved following the desk research before attending the event.

Oman Tourism sector had advertised the event using various channels to help in the marketing process of the event. I captured the advert through Al-Jazeera and had the interest to attend the 2017 Muscat Festival in Oman. I made arrangements to visit the event and use the opportunity in collecting data to help to obtain real significance of the implications on Muscat Festivals development and management in the tourism industry of Oman. I planned on how to carry out the field study to meet the officials, facilitators as well as the managers of Muscat Festival and interview them to the examination of matters concerning the process of events development, management, as well as tourist attraction.

The managers and facilitators had developed the website for Muscat Festival. I visited the events website to capture some information concerning the event schedule, venues as well as the timings. From the Website, I realized that the event occurs annually from December to February. I had an interest in the cultural activities that were from 15th to 16th of December 2017. I wanted to capture the various cultures of the Arabs and the cultural practices of the Sultanates. From the website, I noted that venue for the cultural activities would occur at Al Qurma Section of the Natural Park (Baporikar, 2012, p.125). My interest was in capturing the cultural dimension of the Oman lifestyle with its unique traditions, customs as well as heritage.

After gathering secondary information about Muscat Festival, I developed relevant questions to interview the event managers and facilitators when in the field. I ensured that I capture words in the interview questions for relevance in relating class work with field study. The desire of attending the event was to learn more about the existing theoretical/conceptual frameworks concepts of the tourism industry regarding events development and its management. Before attending the event, I as well ensured that I have some insights on the implications of Muscat Festival to the Tourism Industry of Oman. I contacted the managers and facilitators of the event to book an appointment for an interview. Most of the respondents were positive with my appointments, and I prepared my fieldwork tools for effectiveness in the data collection process.

During the event, I attended the cultural event at Al Qurma Section of the Natural Park. The Muscat Festival Cultural events began with the presentation that was done by two sculptors. The sculptors were Khaloud Alshaebyia and Ayoub Albalush whose presentation entailed, Oman, the unique land of Peace (Al-Masroori, 2010, p.23). In had booked an appointment with one of the facilitators, after the first presentation, I met Mr. Hassaun Mohamoud who was one of the managers of the events. I interviewed concerning the strategies used in the event planning, challenges they encounter as well as the implications of the event to the tourism industry of Oman. During the conversation with Mohammed, I noted down some of the major relevance of the information with class work. Conversation with Mohamoud mostly involved the process of developing and managing Muscat Festival with the aim of attracting tourists from all parts of the world.

After the interview with Mohammed, I came back to the arena to follow the cultural activities. I was as well having the second interview appointment with the workers from the ministry of tourism. After the governance lecture about the significance of the cultural activities to the economy of Oman by the ministry officials, I talked with some officials from the ministry of tourism. I was able to talk to seven officials from the ministry of tourism in Oman who offered information mainly on the implications of Muscat Festival to the economy of Oman. I noted that the main aim for the event was to attract tourists who boost the economy Oman as well as the social standards of the citizens (de Pablos, Tennyson & Zhao, 2012, p.33). The ministry has come up with strategies on how to work hand in hand with other sectors in the development and management of the event to ensure that visitors gets attracted to the event. The interview with the six officials from the Tourism sector was beneficial though it took the better part of my first day of the study.

The second day of the study mainly involved meeting the managers of the Muscat Festival. I met three manager of the Muscat Festival who mainly offered information on the challenged encountered when planning and managing the events. The appointment with the event manager was in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to the arena to follow the cultural event about the cultural and historical exhibition of the Omani Ships (Eid, 2015, p.254). The presentation of the Omani Ships culture and history was by Hammoud Alghelani who was one of the famous researchers in the culture and history of the Arabs whose artistic works I had learned in class.

After the data collection process, I compiled all the data collected. I had taken photos and videos (found in the portfolio attachments). I as well recorded the conversations of the interviews with the taking of notes. I ensured that I carried all the evidence of data gathered to help in the analysis and presentation of the fieldwork data.

The Relationship between Class Work and the Existing Insights

After attending the Muscat Festival event and the process of data collection led to the identification of a relationship of what I had learned in class with the real activities in the field. Managers, facilitators as well as the government had invested a lot in development and management of Muscat Festival. Firstly, I had learned in class that event development and management boosts tourism industry (Getz, 2008, p.412). I evidently witnessed in the field that the strategies that were laid out by the Muscat Festival facilitators and managers right way from the advertisement and adequate planning led to the boost to the tourism industry of Oman. The report by the ministry of tourism in Oman indicated the events planning contributed to many visitors across the globe attend the event. There were many visitors from all corners of the world who attended the Muscat Festival 2017. As a result tourism industry of Oman ends up boosted by the proper development and management of Muscat Festival which relates to the conceptual framework learned in class.

In the field, I noted that event management and development yields to a promoted customer loyalty. Most of the visitors at Muscat Festival 2017 were a regular customer, an indication of customer loyalty. The managers and facilitators of the event ensured that the occasion is well developed and managed for the acquisition of the customer loyalty. The managers ensured that visitors have an understanding of the reason for visiting the destination. The event planners, therefore, worked out to meet the expectations of the client (Feighery, 2012, p. 271). As an individual, though it was my first visit, the event was amazing, and I plan to attend it come next year. The entire development and management of Muscat Festival had the aim of promoting the customers loyalty.

The report from the respondents indicated that tourists who attend Muscat Festival are loyal are willing to visit again because the development and management efforts meet their expectations. Tourism is all about impressing the customer for a strong positive relationship in the business (Hall & Lew, 2009, p.61). The presentations are ever unique in capturing the culture, custom, heritage, history as well as traditions of the Arabs. Learners, researchers, as well as families from all parts of the world, attended Muscat Festival because the event managers, the government, facilitators...